Reunion: An Original Story
by Scrabby
Summary: Rebekah's got a visitor; everyone gets to know the good and the bad sides of living with the Originals and the Salvatores. Stebekah, Klaus/OC
1. The Meeting

DISCLAIMER: The Vampire Diaries and the characters belong to their rightful owners. All that is mine here is Theresa and the story.

She walks into the Grill, more stunning than ever, only to find someone very familiar at the bar talking to her ex-boyfriend. She walks over to them and puts her hand on Stefan's arm, making him turn around.

„Aren't you supposed to be doing backflips somewhere at school?" he asks her, his ego satisfied by the conversation he had with a beautifull brunette next to him.

„Practise isn't until tomorrow, Stefan," Rebekah answers, „Have you recognized him from my stories or is this just a coincidence?"

The brunette steps down from her stool and makes a few steps closer to Rebekah, „Coincidence, but I knew it was the famous Ripper as soon as he said his name. It's good to see you."

Stefan coughs to draw attention from the women, „I am still here, in case you forgot," he says and raises his glass closer to his lips as Rebekah and the brunette take their places, each at one side of his.

„Don't act jealous, Stefan, you had her attention long enough. It's my turn now," Rebekah moves her hand away from him and takes the glass of her usual wine the compelled bartender always has prepared for her.

„I do hope I will not run into your brother during my stay," the brunette says, „He really kills my mood."

„Dear Theresa, I have to disappoint you. I am a very active member of the Mystic Falls community now," he says and appears from behind Rebekah, taking the glass from her hand. „To what do we owe the pleasure of having you here?"

„We'll see if it's a pleasure," she tells him, taking a sip from her vodka, „But since you're asking, I came to see my friend. Because I heard she's alive again and all that," she says with an ironic smile all over her face as she looks up to meet his eyes.

„Wonderful," he says as he puts his hand at the back of her head, „ Why don't you stay with us, darling?"

Stefan stands up and puts his glass back onto the bar, making a loud noise doing it, „I suppose I am only the owner of the house, it's not like my word should count for anything."

„Don't worry, sweetheart, I won't bother you," Theresa tells him, „I already have a place to stay." She turns to the hybrid, „Why don't you follow your little friend and leave us girls to talk, Nik?"

Klaus turns his back on her, and follows Stefan out, „You two ladies have fun."

„So this is the famous town of Mystic Falls, Virginia," she says as she feels Rebekah's arm around her shoulders and returns the hug, „I actually expected something more exclusive."

Rebekah smiles, „We have Original vampires, witches, doppelgängers, hybrids, mediums, a whole vampire hunting squad and ordinary vampires, the wonderful Salvatore brothers included. What is more exclusive than that?"


	2. Trouble With The Roommate

The door of the Salvatore house swing open as two women storm in.

„You have no idea how hard it is to keep order in a house this big. Nik and Stefan always leave such an enormous mess behind. It drives Damon and me mad," Rebekah exclaims while she puts her shopping bags down on the sideboard found in the hallway before the parlor. She turns her head into the direction of Stefan's voice, followed by giggles of her cheerleading squad, as she notices.

„Do you see that? It's like this all the time," she says, „I seriously can't take it anymore!"

Theresa walks into the parlor and stops at the point where the gaming area begins.  
>„Sweetheart, you've been around enough to know even regular Twister isn't fun," she tells him and removes a young girl's wrist from his mouth, „And you're destroying these wonderful pieces of furniture with blood. It can't come off easily, you know."<p>

Stefan grins as he moves slightly to the left to make room for Theresa to sit. „It's my house, therefore my furniture," he says, „No matter what my brother says."

„I don't know your brother, darling, but even I would like a permanent home if it's furnished like this."

Rebekah comes close and leans over the back of the sofa, positioning her head only a few inches away from Stefan's. „Clean it up, Stefan. Now."

He turns his head and stares into her eyes. „No," he says and turns back around. She pushes her fingers in his neck and uses her force to detach his skull from the spine.

„ How would you like to reconsider that?" she asks, sharing a smile with her friend at the other side of Stefan.

„Okay!" he says and turns to his female companions. „Ladies, I hate to say this, but I have to ask you to leave. Why don't we schedule our next meeting for, say, tomorrow?" Theresa nudges him and shakes her head in disagreement.

„A-a-a! I think you meant, you won't have a next meeting, sweetheart." She rubs her hand against the fabric of the sofa, „Such fine things he has here, and look how he behaves. Bekah, why don't we get out of here again?"

„I'm afraid we can't; you see, I have to stand here and supervise the cleaning. If I don't, then he won't even start and then Damon will freak out. It was his turn to clean last week."

The blonde Original pushes Stefan after the girls leave. She always stands a step behind him while he cleans, and as they get a crowd watching them in the mean time, she forces him to work faster.

„This is only the beginning of what you will have to do next time you eat half my squad, Mister Salvatore! Get back there, you missed a spot!"

Klaus chuckles at the sight of his younger sister acting as an old nag. She shots him an annoyed look, „It's your turn to clean next week, Nik."

Damon pushes him from the side, „I think my brother over there could use some help from his BFF, what do you think, Barbie?"

„The more they clean now, the less we will have to clean tomorrow. Here's a broom, Nik. Sweep the place up."

He holds the broomstick in both his hands and swings it a couple of times.

„Where's the vacuum cleaner?" he asks, looking up from the floor he is sweeping.

„It's not working. Chop, chop, big brother, all these rooms won't sweep themselves!"


	3. Christmas

**Christmas special**

„Put this up, will you, sweetheart?" she asks politely as she forces the golden star into the hybrid's hand. He looks down with his left eyebrow lifted and his mouth open, prepared to say something out of annoyment.

„Can't you bother my sister, darling - after all, it is her who you're visiting."

She jumps away quickly to stare at the tree from afar.

„Looks good. Nice bums, Nik, by the way."

The blonde walks in with a giant box of light green Christmas lights. „Yes or no? And please, Theresa, don't talk about my brother's behind."

„You're just jealous mine is better than yours," he mutters.

„I heard that!" she says as she extends her arm and hits her brother on the head. „The lights, yes or no?"

„No," he says seriously, but she jumps up and throws the line of lights over the tree.

„Wonderful! Get down, Nik, there's a whole other tree waiting for you. And where are Stefan and Damon? I think I told them to be back with the rest of the decorations by three!"

Rebekah walks a few steps away and towards the doors while Klaus and Theresa stare, surprised by the dictator she becomes during the holidays.

„Sweetheart, since when do you care about Christmas so much?"

„Since I haven't had one for nine decades," she says and her look pierces through her brother's skull, „and since I'm living in this house, which, as you can see, is too gorgeous not to be properly decorated for Christmas, as it would be if I let the Salvatores handle anything."

„Because, again, we're only the ones who _**own **_the place, right?" Stefan asks, putting down a bag of silver dust gently on the floor. „You're turning my house into a mini Las Vegas. Too many lights."

„May I add, if we're going for Vegas, an actual casino and a bar would be a perfect gift," Damon says and grins widely at the blonde whose face looked anything but amused.

„That would be delightful, really," Theresa says and gives the older Salvatore an encouraging smile, „Good idea, sweetheart."

„Stop calling everyone sweetheart, Theresa, it's annoying."

„Only when you stop calling me darling, Nik."

He jumps down and shakes the dust off his head, „A bad habit leftover, that's all. Rebekah, are we done?"

„Absolutely NOT! Go sprinkle this around the tree. And you two get this other tree up. You, my friend, will come with me and start wrapping up all the presents."

„You know, Bek, it's my time to go. I've been here for months now and I should get going, I think Stefan has had enough of me and ..."

„Shut up and wrap everything gold."

„For the record, I tried," she says and chuckles. She walks over to the box filled with all kids of wrapping paper and pulls two rolls out. „Do we really have to?"

„Of course we do! I spent so much time choosing presents for them and I want them properly wrapped and put under that tree so they can open them on Christmas morning!"

„Bek, they don't care," she says but the blonde stops her abruptly.

„I don't want to hear it."

They both hear loud thump coming from downstairs. And another one. And another.

„What's that?" the blonde asks, carefully putting down the perfectly wrapped bottle of Jack Daniels she intends to give to Damon and runs quickly to the stairway. „Do you smell smoke?"

Her friend walks slowly until she's right by her side and the grey cloud comes up and blurs their vision. „Yes, and I see it, too."

She turns around waving her hand left and right, as if she were cutting the smoke. „And I see Damon with a fire extinguisher..."

„No Christmas in the Salvatore house, Barbie. You'll still get your gift, though."


	4. Dancing Partners

Klaus enters the attic only to find it all cleaned up, unlike the previous time he was there; floors shining, walls clear and no trash or furniture except a little table and an old gramophone he recognizes as Stefan's old one he remembers form Chicago. The old records, some of them his own, are neatly sorted alphabetically by the name of the artist and Klaus sees the group of his three, oh well, now four roommates gathered around one, all dressed in fancy dance clothes he despises.

„Are we opening a jazz club in the attic?" he asks, leaning on the closest wall, with evident sarcasm in his voice as he knows neither of the Salvatore brothers or Theresa, for that matter, likes dancing. He knows only his dear sister has the power of making people do exactly what she wants, _persistent_ as she is. Rebekah is dressed according to the music they're dancing to, which means she also made everyone else be just as styled as her.

„If you're joining us, Nik, you need to find yourself a partner," she says and takes Stefan's hand dragging him to the center of the room while Damon and Theresa stand back to put the record on. „Or you could take turns with Stefan and dance with me. Come on, Nik, you know it has been a while."

„I'm not out of my mind, Rebekah. Not yet, that is," he grins widely at the sight of Stefan Salvatore making an annoyed face every time he spins Rebekah in the opposite direction. „What, sister, you won't make those two lovelies dance?"

„Nik, sweetheart, have I ever told you how much I just despise you?" he hears a loud remark coming from the bottom of the room, so he turns to face a displeased Theresa and an even more displeased Damon approaching the already dancing couple, knowing there is no way to avoid what the beautiful Original has planned for them.

He leans on the wall for a couple of more minutes, observing the couples swaying slowly to the sound of music and holds his laughter in every time he sees Rebekah's delighted smile and Stefan's forced one, or even when he shoots glances to the older Salvatore and his dancing partner; the pair, in their own fashion, never bother to hide the annoyance.

„I think I'll go get a camera," he says after a while and turns on his heels, before he hears a silent mutter coming from the raven haired man, „You do that and I'll go Katherine on you."

„What does that even mean, Damon?"

„It means, sweetheart, that he will cut your fingers with a kitchen knife and then probably add some Damon spice in the whole story, which is squeeze some of the blood into bottles and not return your fingers until the wound has already healed."

He stares at the now grinning dancers, spinning all over the spacey attic, his eyebrows raised and his mouth slightly open in confusion.

„Since when do you know Damon's style, love?"

„Since I have to talk-slash-drink with someone when Rebekah goes to school," Theresa says, and Rebekah opens her mouth to support her.

„You should really think about making friends, Nik. And be sure to bring them to dance here with us."

Stefan moves his head back to look directly at Rebekah's eyes, „ What do you mean, bring them to dance with us?"

„I might have forgotten to mention we are doing this every Wednesday night as of now."

„In your dreams, Barbie Klaus," Damon says as he stops dancing and pulls his vampire partner's hand to follow him out the door. „Come on, Miss T., let's get drunk."


	5. I Am Not Jealous

„Rebekah!"

She jumps up and quickly puts her hands behind her back. „It wasn't me, Nik!"

He walks into the room with a frown on his face and carrying his jacket, another hand going through his hair as he looks to where the blonde Original stands. „What are you talking about?"

„Nothing. Nothing at all..." Rebekah jumps down on the couch and lifts her legs up, „You wanted something?"

Klaus puts his jacket on slowly and runs his fingers through his hair once more.

„Where's Theresa?"

„I believe she is out with Damon. Stefan and I are meeting them for a human lunch later today."

Klaus sits down opposite his sister, an unsatisfied look upon his face as he reaches down and picks up the morning paper Stefan had earlier brought in. He looks at the front page, the news being his latest_ work _– ah, yes, the wonderful Natalie; she sure did taste good. He is pleased he once more made the front page and smiles, the back of his mind telling him there is a noise he should be paying attention to.

„Nik, are you listening to me?"

His head snaps up from the paper and he looks at the blonde, „I'm sorry?"

„Two questions, brother. One, what do you need Reesie for and two, do you want to come to that lunch with us?"

„Well, one: none of your business. Two, I really do appreciate the invitation, but I have had enough of sappy Stefan at home, I don't want to go through that torture anywhere else."

She shoots him an annoyed look. „Stefan is not sappy."

„You're just blinded by love, my dear."

They both smile to hide the glares they would much rather be giving each other while Rebekah takes out a small nail polish bottle out of her pocket.

„Are you sure you don't want to come because Theresa and Damon will be there?"

„What do I have to do with them?"

„Oh, I don't know, brother darling; I believe it has to do with your jealousy."

Klaus jumps up quickly and crosses his arms at his chest, „What jealousy?"

„You're jealous Theresa likes Damon better than you and she's known you longer... Which is probably the main reason," she says and chuckles, her look still placed at her now red fingernails.

„I don't think she likes him better than me," he says and takes a few steps towards the bar. „You mean because they're always together and all I do with her is fight."

„That are usually the hints, yes."  
>„Well I would like you to know, Rebekah, that Theresa and I are actually very fond of each other but, as it usually is with people like ourselves, we have weird ways of showing our affection."<p>

„As I said, jealous."

He looks up from the whisky glass he picked up and looks at her, no longer hiding the glare, and hears her silent remark _„If looks could kill..."_

„Do you want me to dagger you?"

„Please, be my guest. Let Damon pull it out later. Theresa will _love _that."


	6. Let Me Cut That For You

He is dancing around the spacious kitchen with a spatula in his right hand and a frying pan in the other. The hybrid has no idea what he is supposed to do, but he hides it with style; he manages around the cabinets as if he were the one who installed them on the walls and has all ingredients ready in their place. Carrots frighten him. They're too orange for his liking, in addition, they tend to taste like dirt, not that he ever ate dirt. He places the frying pan on the cooker and puts the spatula back to the drawer. Knives. Upper right, he guesses and pulls out one, along with a cutting board – a watermelon cutting board, as if the carrots weren't horrible enough. He puts the orange monsters on the board and hits it with the knife, chopping quite a big chunk off the top.

"What are you doing?" he hears a female voice from the other side of the kitchen bar and glances up to see her amused expression watching over his carrot-slaughter.

"I am cooking, darling, isn't it obvious?"

She chuckles and sits down on a stool, picks up her brown hair in a bun and leans forward to take the knife from him.

"That's not the way to do it, sweetheart. Did you peel the carrot?" she asks, holding the vegetable up, eyeing it questionably.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm pretty sure you didn't wash it either. And you don't cut it like it you're decapitating your hybrids. You do it gently so that you get similar slices."

Klaus looks at her with a smirk on his face as he pulls out a pack of fresh green beans from the groceries bag. "Do I peel these too?"

"Oh dear. Nik, have you ever in your thousand years eaten green beans?"

"I suppose so."

"How can you not know this is how they're prepared? If you peel them, you'll have air to prepare! Get out of the kitchen, you disgust me."

"Well, would you help me?"

A smile turns up on her face as she looks back to the groceries and takes the pack from Klaus' hands.

"My, my, Niklaus asking for help. Hell just froze over," she says and holds in a laugh, "What _can _you make, sweetheart?"

"I've been told I make excellent chicken."

"So you're a meat person. Why don't you just stick with that, and I'll handle the green stuff?"

They resume their cooking another half an hour before they speak again. They're home alone, so Klaus isn't afraid anyone will see him cooking. Anyone being Damon. He would never hear the end of Damon Salvatore, Chef Extraordinaire.

"Nik, why are you in the kitchen anyway?" she asks in between two songs she hums while she stirs the sauce they make for Klaus' chicken, "If you're hungry, you could have just ordered take out. Or have a blood bag."

"If it only were that easy," he says, "Rebekah is setting me up with some human girl from her cheerleading squad."

"I thought those girls annoy her. "

"I don't know."

They cook in silence for a minute or two, until he hears the brown haired vampire put the lid down on the pot.

"Nik, don't you think those girls are a bit too young for you?"

He looks at her with a grin before he returns to his work, "I think any woman is too young for me, to be completely honest. I stopped seeing that as a problem."

"But they are seventeen. And you look closer to thirty."

He scoffs silently and mutters a response she doesn't hear.

"Could you repeat that, sweetie?"

"I said, I am physically 24 years old, thankyouverymuch!"

"Aren't we grumpy."

"Pass me the pepper, will you, darling?"

She hands him the small jar and he sees that she is dying to ask another question.

"What, Theresa?"

"Why would you want to date a teenage human?"

"Why would you have such a problem with that?"

Silence strikes them again.

"You should go get ready."

"I don't feel like it."

Her phone rings at the same time they hear the doorbell.

"Have fun tonight, Nik," she tells him before she picks up, "Hi, psycho."

She leaves the room as he walks slowly to open the door and mutters, "Not likely."


	7. You're All Going, Boys

The door slams shut as a voice carries through the house, "Honey, I'm home!"

Stefan is wearing a suit, which he despised, but he had to make himself presentable if he was going to be pretending to be a civilized human being with the lawyers.

"You were wearing that shirt? I told you to take the white."

He looks down with a confused look, "I liked this one better, Damon."

"Suit yourself. Honey's not home, by the way," his brother says with a smirk forming on his face. "Your brother-in-law to be took her shopping for your date."

Shock goes over Stefan's face and he reaches down his jacket pocket and takes out his phone. "We don't have a date."

"Oh yes, you do. A double."

"Damon, stop messing with me. We can't have a date. It's not in my calendar. I didn't plan anything. She's going to kill me. I'm a dead man. All gray and veiny."

Damon chuckles and takes his tie from his brother's neck .

"Well, knowing your girlfriend, at least you'll get killed with a nicely whittled stake."

The door opens once again and two blonde vampires walk in, their hands filled with bags and while the girl shines with joy, the man's annoyance is felt not only on his attitude, but also in the air.

"Why will I kill you, Stefan?" Rebekah asks, a smile still on her face, "Is this about our date?"

"Of course not! I got that all covered, baby," he tells her, but his face fails in covering his lie.

"And how is that since I didn't even tell you we are going?"

Green eyes of the younger Salvatore turn to icy blue ones of his older brother, wordlessly cursing all that he might find saint.

"Oh, you know I always find out and manage. That's just the way I am."

"Shut up, Stefan," the annoyed Original interrupts him, "You'll end up doing what they've got planned for us anyway."

Rebekah smiles wider as she pulls out brand new shoes from their box, their red being the brightest thing in the room.

"You are absolutely right, my dear brother. And I assure you, all three of you boys will enjoy!"

Damon's eyes shoot up from his tie, "Excuse me, I thought I heard you say three?"

"I did."

"I'm not going."

"Oh yes you are."

"I don't have a date."

"That's what you think."

He blinks a couple of times, "Who are you going with?" he asks the hybrid.

Klaus cheers up and his face is covered by a victorious smile, "Theresa."

"Who the hell am I taking then? I thought you were going with that cheerleader girl."

"Too young," he responds, and before he can continue rubbing his contentment to Damon's nose, Rebekah stands up and hands each a bag to carry for her.

"Boys, you're boring me. Damon, go get dressed, you know it takes you time. And don't worry, your date is not some annoying brat. Theresa is not my only vampire friend, you know. I think you'll like Paola."

"You're setting him up with Paola?" her brother asks, "Oh boy."

Damon walks up to Klaus as Rebekah walks off to her room, "Bro, be honest with me here, will I get staked tonight?"

"Don't call me bro."

"Answer me."

He gets a response, but from someone else; Stefan comes to him and takes the bags from his hands, "Damon, you should probably just go get ready."

"Does that mean I will?"

"It means you will want to impress the woman."

"Do you know her, baby bro?"

Stefan sighs, "Yeah, I do. She's the third member of the beautiful, yet incredibly annoying and bossy lady vampire trio and if you want us all to stay normal you'll be at your best behavior"

"And by that," Klaus says as he pats him on the back, "He means you should be a snarky bastard you always are." He walks away amused and turns around quickly and winks, "She loves her men problematic."


	8. The Guy Is Not Happy

"I will never agree to any of your little plans again!"

Damon stomps down the hall from his room to Stefan's, two women following his every step. He is too annoyed to drink or feed – hell, he's too annoyed to be a manwhore and that's saying something – so it's in everyone's best interest not to disturb him while he invades his brother's privacy. Two old diaries should be better than any literary work the world has witnessed.

"I don't see what the problem is, Damon. I thought the dinner went splendidly," Rebekah tells him as she puts her hands on her hips, "You had fun, Salvatore."

"You two are _perfect_ for each other, you know."

The door slams before the women's faces, but it doesn't stop them. He doesn't have enough time to lock it, (_they're older, therefore faster_, he mocks_)_, and they rush in before he could even reach to the key.

"No, we are not."

"Damon, Paola is gorgeous, intelligent, arrogant, sarcastic, blunt to the point of obnoxiousness," Theresa tells him as she clinges to his neck since he refuses to acknowledge their presence, "She's a girl you, basically."

"My point exactly."

"You're a lost cause. Fine, sweetheart. Next time, Nik will find you a date."

"There will be no next time, my dear," he singsongs as he pushes them gently out the door.

He closes the door and turns around, his eyes wander around the room to find his favorite work of amateur writing. It waits for him right on the desk, as if Stefan wants him to read – well, he does, because he likes writing and Damon is actually a great critic – Damon turns the first, already read, ten pages, to continue where he left off, before he feels his younger brother creep behind him.

"If you're going to snoop around my stuff, you can at least have the decency to do it when I'm not here."

"Look, Stef, I am going to read your diary now. Or you can read it aloud for me. All I know is that I want to be away from Barbie Klaus and her sidekick, the hybrid lover and you will allow me to do so."

"Fine. Give it."

"Huh?"

"The diary," Stefan says as if his thoughts were obvious to the world, "I'll read it to you."

Damon jumps on his brother's bed and lies on his stomach, just as he'd seen the girls do so many times. "Come on, Steffi, my nerves are very thin here."

Stefan clears his throat and looks over the page Damon opened.

"January 9th: I wish this town wasn't so dull. It gets worse as years go by; I remember how rich and adventurous it used to be to walk the streets of Mystic Falls or ride our horses through the woods, very unlike the present when all you can see are cars too shiny and people too self centered to see the true advantages of living…"

"I hope I'm not interrupting brotherly bonding," Klaus says as the door swings open and he enters the room. Stefan smacks his journal closed and runs to hide it from the hybrid's eyes.

"What do you want now?"

"Spend some time with the men. I swear, they were seconds away from painting my nails. They've gotten crazier with years."

"You should get red and black. Leopard print."

"Damon."

"What? You're annoying. Out."

Klaus throws himself on the bed, opposite of Damon and Stefan follows. The three supposedly grown men, lying on a bed like teenage girls, _only a Mean Girl movie is missing_, Klaus thinks, but he doesn't move away.

"I have a feeling you need to share your pain."  
>"You're not my shrink. Good bye."<p>

"Come on, pal. I'm here to give you some good advice. Based on life experience, of course."

"Because you're oh so loved."

"This is why people don't like you, Damon," they hear Stefan comment, "You're rude to your elders."

"Stefan, are you trying to put him in a _worse _mood? Shut up."

Damon stands up quickly and walks to the other end of the room. He leans against the window and his eyes glare at his brother and the original hybrid.

"What got you so friendly and caring today_, Nik_?"

"Can't a guy just be nice to his friends?"

"No," the Salvatores respond simultaneously, as Stefan hits the older vampire on the back. "Not when the guy is you."

"Well if you must know, I actually had a nice time last night. Even though I felt brainwashed by all the comments coming from the dream couple."

"Not you too."

" I don't like her anymore than you do, to be honest. I'm just trying to be in good grace with my sister and m-, Theresa."

"Whatever, man. I need a drink," Damon says and starts walking out, "Are you two coming or do I need to send written invitations?"


	9. Book Club

The hybrid lies on the hardwood floor of his bedroom in the shared Salvatore-Original home; well, Salvatore home with Originals plus one intruders. He is banging his fists on the floor symbolically, and a thick book next to him jumps up and down with every contact his knuckled make with the floorboards. Stefan comes in and stares at Klaus from the doorway, a puzzled, but amused look in his eyes.

"Is something bothering the hybrid extraordinaire?" he asks, grinning from ear to ear.

"Stefan, have you ever read this nonsense," Klaus asks as he tosses Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' to the younger Salvatore.

"Sure, why?"

"How can she possibly like it?" Klaus asks desperately, crawling to his bed and dragging himself to stand on his feet.

Stefan chuckles as he eyes the book; a brand new issue, fresh from the bookstore, he remarks. "Trouble in paradise and over a book? I'm shocked!"

"Shut up and explain to me, please, why _that_ is one of the most appreciated _works of art_."

Stefan peaks his head out the door and yells for his brother. In vampire speed, Damon appears and jumps down on the hybrid's bed. "How can I be of service, oh noble ones?" he mocks.

Stefan turns to the hybrid as he throws the book in his brother's face. "Damon has a major in comparative literature."

Klaus raises his eyebrows and laughs silently.

"Yeah, I didn't believe it at first either."

Damon turns some pages before his emotionless voice chimes between the walls of the room. "I may mock you for your schooling, but only because you know nothing about choosing an interesting major." He pats the space beside him and motions the other two men to come sit. "You boys come here and prepare yourselves for a long lesson by Professor Damon Salvatore."

The two appeared quickly beside him and Klaus took the book back from Damon. "Well, _Professor_, please explain this damn book because I cannot grasp the concept of killing someone only to be tortured by the act later on."

"That's because killing is natural for vampires and we almost always get some use out of it. The act of the killing in this novel is not as important as the intention to do it, the predestination that Raskolnikov felt to change the world or the guilt that ate him up from inside after he killed the granny. And there's the importance of the characters such as Sonia and Avdotya – their morals, the courage… their devotion to their families. As for Sonia, there is also her shame for working as a prostitute."

"You know what; I don't even want to bother with this. It all would have made things so much easier for everyone if the guy split his own head in two halves with that goddamned axe to match his name."

"You are not even trying to understand, Klaus!" Damon scolded, "Theresa will be disappointed; I might just have show up and chat her up with my great knowledge of good literature."

"Don't provoke me, Salvatore – you know I can get back at you in a much more painful way that tearing your organs out." Klaus scratched the top of his head. "The Russians love to suffer, it's unbelievable. I cannot tell you how much I just love French authors in moments like these."

"I'm more into American literature myself," Stefan adds. "Twentieth century in particular. Fitzgerald, Hemingway and all those guys."

"You only like them because you were basically their beta reader."

"That reminds me of Alessandro. But I wasn't his critic; I sometimes made his works." Klaus says with a smirk on his face that earns him questioning looks from the Salvatores. "Botticelli," he explains.

"Back to literature, gentlemen," Damon takes the matter back into his own hands, "Why don't you tell me about a book you do like, Niklaus the nagging hybrid."

"Oh, there are simply too many."

The doors open again and a blonde stomps in with a phone in her hand, "Stefan, it's my brother." Stefan looks up confusedly and turns his head towards the hybrid.

"Not Nik, you dumbass, it's Elijah. Possibly the others, too. You'll probably get threats." Rebekah's gaze wandered down to see the book Klaus seemed to hate so much and her face screamed with joy. "You're starting a book club? That's wonderful! Damon, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you teaching my brother good literature, his taste in everything but his own paintings is strangely nonexistent for a thousand-year-old man. I must tell Theresa," she says and walks out of the door.

"Wait," Klaus yells after her but his sister doesn't look back. He turns around and meets a pair of blue eyes and a grin on Damon's face.

"So, you were saying something about morals…?"


	10. Meet The Parents, But Not Exactly

There's a knock on the front door when Stefan walks out of his room in his boxers and leaves Rebekah in bed. They're the only ones in the house since Damon left early for a Council meeting and the other two snuck out early in the morning for a trip to Mexico, inspired by the enthusiasm of Seth Cohen from an early O.C. episode Theresa and Rebekah recently watched.

Stefan opens the door in slow motion and rubs his eyes to convince himself it's not a dream: it's eight o'clock and an all suited up Elijah and two others he vaguely recognizes by looks, but cannot bring himself to remember their names are waiting with their hands in their pockets or looking at a wristwatch.

"Good morning, Stefan!" the one that Stefan remembers as the youngest greets him and pats him on the back as he enters the house, "I trust we aren't disturbing you and my sister, are we?"

"Um, no…" Stefan replies and waits for the other two men to come in. He closes the door behind them and scratches his head, "I'm going upstairs to change and get Rebekah down here… You can make yourselves comfortable. Elijah, you know around the house."

"Of course, Stefan," Elijah confirms with a fake smile and watches Stefan run upstairs to hide his grey boxers from the eyes of the brothers of his girlfriend. As if living with one wasn't enough.

Rebekah wakes up but stays in bed when she hears the front door closing. She hears Kol's voice and then Elijah's, Finn is there too, she hears his footsteps. She wonders how she was going to deal with them without Klaus; Kol she could manage, but the older ones… Those would turn her into Rapunzel if they could. She gets up when she hears Stefan barge into the room and finds a casual dress in the closet as she watches Stefan run his fingers nervously through his hair.

"My brothers won't eat you, Stefan, they feed on humans only."

It looks to her that steam is going out of Stefan's ears and she suppresses a laugh before she takes his hand in hers and they walk down the stairs together. When they reach the ends of the staircase, she can see Finn running his fingers over the wooden furniture and checking for dust; when he sees there is none, he seems to be satisfied. Kol sniffs around to find something fun because the place is just too boring for him, so dark and old and… dead. Elijah walks through all the rooms on the floor to see if anything changed, at last, he checks the dungeon where he once woke up from the dead and expects to see someone else kept prisoner, tortured and drawn blood from – but nope, nothing; the Salvatores are clean. And so is Niklaus, to everyone's surprise.

"Hey there, Bekah," Kol grins when he sees his younger sister come in, her hair still a bit ruffled like it always is in the morning, ever since they were children. "I'm surprised to see you're the first of us to settle down."

"I know," she nods, "I figured it would be Finn." That earns her an amused look from the mentioned brother who is still acting as a sanitary inspector, followed by a short, "Right."

"You look wonderful, my dear," Elijah compliments her and runs his hand over her head, "How have they been treating you? You know you can just tell me if there's something wrong and I'll take care of it."

"Elijah, I live with Nik; the biggest problem I could have is that precisely," she tells him and snorts a little, encouragingly squeezing Stefan's hand as she feels him being more nervous than he was at first.

"Where _is_ Nik?" Elijah asks, looking around.

"He took Theresa to Mexico, I believe," Rebekah says, "You know how impulsive they are."

"Theresa? That hottie friend of yours from Boston?" Kol asks with a groan and he sees Rebekah nod. "You promised to set me up with her!"

"Kol, that was two hundred years ago," she says and he rolls his eyes.

"That makes no difference!"

"Kol, be quiet," Finn scolds him. He takes a few steps towards the blonde and takes her head into his hands; then he examines her carefully to find any signs that she was in any case hurt, as if she wasn't a vampire that heals in seconds. "Do you feed well?" he asks and she nods. "Are you being careful?"

"Finn, I'm not some teenager!"

Elijah joins his brother's side and ignores Kol as the younger man walks around the Salvatore in circles, his eyes going up and down Stefan's figure as if he were at a fashion casting.

"What does Niklaus this about this relationship of yours?" Elijah asks her, removing his older brother from Rebekah.

"Fully supportive," Rebekah says, "As you should be."

"You don't really expect us to embrace the man who is doing things to our sister we never want to imagine?" Kol says teasingly. "Of course, I don't have to imagine. I had the misfortune to walk right in."

"Spare us the details, Kol," Elijah warns him and turns to Stefan. "You realize that we will tear you apart, then assemble you again and set each part on fire if you ever do anything to hurt our sister, young man?"

"Yes, sir," Stefan responds and earns a laugh from his girlfriend.

"I hope no bad thoughts have ever crossed your mind, Stefan," Finn adds.

"No, sir," the Salvatore replied.

"And you haven't thought of making us anyone's uncles, is that right, Salvatore?" Kol asks, patting him on the back again.

"We can't procreate, you jerk!" Stefan says.

"Look who stopped wetting his pants all of a sudden!" Kol exclaims, "Relax, man, we're not going to kill you today."

"Kol!" Rebekah scolds him.

"Why don't we have breakfast together, shall we, Bekah?" Elijah asks, "Stefan can surely suggest a nice place that isn't that lame Grill place."

"Um, sure," the Salvatore replied, "There's one just ten minutes from here…"

"Wonderful," Kol remarked, "Go get your coats, lovebirds. Let's not waste time."


	11. Mingling With Mr Lonely

Damon wakes up with two pairs of eyes watching him closely. His eyes go up as he is shadowed from the sunlight by a wide brim in the most repulsive shade of orange Damon has ever seen. He jumps up and knocks the hat off his head.

"What the hell is that?" he almost yells as the two people on each side of his bed pick the hat back up and put it on his head. Klaus chuckles and taps his back as Theresa crosses her legs and shrugs.

"A sombrero," she explains simply and grins widely at Damon whose face shows all kinds of shock. He turns to Klaus who watches, amused, and straightens his posture, not taking the sombrero off again.

"Klaus," Damon says, "I always pegged you for a man of style." Klaus nods and his satisfaction can be seen in his face. "Why did you bring me this hideous thing? Why did you bring me anything, while we're at it?" Damon asks and sees Theresa put both her hand on her hips and Klaus raise his eyebrows.

"Damon Salvatore, you ungrateful bastard!" she scolded and Klaus bit his lip to hide his amusement. "I can't believe this! I try so hard to find you something funny that you'd remember the both of us by once we move away, _because it can be very soon, Mister_, and you don't like it." Theresa pouts. "You were supposed to be the one person I could give a sombrero to without them hiding it in the darkest corners of their home and now it turns out you're going to burn it!"

"Who said anything about burning it?" Damon wonders, "I mean, look at this thing, it burns on its own." Klaus glares at him and Damon coughs, readjusting the hat on his head and leaning towards Theresa. "Come on now, I'll keep it. I'll put it by my closet, okay? Everyone can see it there."

"You're only saying that to please me."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I won't do it or that I'll hide it when you can't see," he says uncomfortably. "Now. What were you saying about going away?"

"I bought a house," Klaus tells him, "You know the red brick one, round the corner? The one with the big grill in the back?" Damon nods. "I figured my life would be easier if I didn't have to hear the noises of my best friend screwing my sister."

"So that's the big moving away thing, living a minute from here?" Damon rolls his eyes, "Reesie, you're overreacting as usual."

"I am not overreacting, Damon, it's still moving."

"Hold up a minute. You two are moving in together. How long have you been dating, a week?"

"We're living together here, what's the difference?" Theresa asks with her hands still on her hips.

"The difference is, you don't have to do his dirty laundry here," Damon says, "And I cook for you. And I'm not stuck living with the dream couple all by myself!"

"Awww, sweetheart," Theresa pats his back as Klaus pouts at him mockingly, "Look at the bright side, now you won't have to live with two couples, but just one. Or you can just throw them out and keep this lovely house to yourself. I mean, you know very well your brother does not appreciate it enough."

Damon hits Klaus' shoulder and gets out of bed, " I _could_ do that."

"Or you could simply get a girlfriend," Klaus states and Damon rolls his eyes, "Thank you, Captain Obvious, except that is not really as easy as making soup."

"Paola is still available," Theresa suggests.

"I'll pass."

"Okay, well, give me some leads," Theresa says and supports her head with her hands, "What would your potential girlfriend have to be like?" Damon rolls his eyes again, "Not human."

Klaus snorts and an ironic smirk pops up on his face. "Really? I would never have guessed!"

"Quiet, Nik," Theresa scolds, "Continue."

"That's pretty much it, actually," Damon shrugs as he pulls a black t-shirt on and turns his back on the pair sitting still on his bed.

"You aren't that picky," Theresa says surprised while Klaus puts his hand on hers and opens his mouth in suggestion. "Damon, mate, what about that blonde baby vampire you sired?"

"I'm not doing that to Caroline, and let's just not mention her in this context anymore if it's in any way possible, thank you."

"Come on, Damon," Theresa says, "There are many girls who would fall for your charms. I mean, look at those baby blues, right, Nik?" Klaus chuckles.

"Not a girl here, but sure, if you say so."

"Can we please get to another topic of conversation?" Damon says, annoyed and walks to his bathroom to pick up some hair-gel.

"I thought you left the hair styling to Stef," Klaus says.  
>"I take care of my appearance, too, Klaus. You two rubbed off on me."<p>

"I don't style, Damon."

"Please. One look at your necklaces says otherwise."

"He does have a point, Nik. Damon?" Theresa asks and he pops his head out of the bathroom, "Let's go out tonight. I'll be your wingman. Woman. Person. Whatever."

"Yeah, alright."

"And what about me?" Klaus deadpans and sits back offended. "I'm not staying home alone!"

"I don't care, Nik," Theresa says, "All I know is _tus calzones_ are staying on tonight. I'm hunting for ladies," she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Consider me frustrated."

"You know, Klaus," Damon starts, "Your brothers are still in town."

"Still? I didn't know they came to Mystic in the first place. Well," Klaus gets up, "That gives me an idea. I owe Kol a hunting night."

"Kol is mini Elijah, right?" Theresa checks, and Klaus nods. "Just dinner, no sex," she warns and Klaus rolls his eyes.

"For him too?"

"Jackass," she tells him off and pushes him out of the room. "Okay, Salvatore, be ready at six. I feel like running."

2


End file.
